Abdominal wall reconstruction in the obese: an assessment of complications from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program datasets
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026
Procurement for a Vascularized and Reinnervated Abdominal Wall Allotransplantation
Published on: July 18, 2025
Jonas A Nelson1, John P Fischer1, Emily C Cleveland1
1Division of Plastic Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Background:
This study utilizes the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database to better understand the impact of obesity on perioperative surgical morbidity in abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR).
Methods:
We reviewed the 2005 to 2010 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program databases, identifying cases of AWR and examining early complications in the context of obesity (body mass index > 30, World Health Organization classes 1 to 3).
Results:
Of 1,695 patients undergoing AWR, 1,078 (63.2%) patients were obese (mean body mass index = 37.6 kg/m(2)). Major surgical complications (15.3% vs 10.1%, P = .003), wound complications (12.5% vs 8.1%, P = .006), medical complications (16.2% vs 11.2%, P = .005) and return to the operating room (9.1% vs 5.4%, P = .006) were significantly increased, while renal complications (1.9% vs .8%, P = .09) neared significance. On logistic regression, obesity only directly led to a significantly increased odds of having a renal complication (odds ratio = 4.4, P = .04). Complications were still noted to increase with World Health Organization classification, including a concerning incidence of venous thromboembolism.
Conclusions:
Although the incidence of complications increased with obesity, obesity itself does not appear to increase the odds of perioperative morbidity. Specific care should be given to VTE prophylaxis and to preventing renal complications.
